Bhutan; Putting the Adventure back in to Adventure Cycling

Kona mechanic and tour guide, Karma, on the Bhutan trails

Back in the 8th century, Guru Rinpoche had a fleet of Tigresses to ride all over the Himalayas subduing demons as he went. In 2010 we’ve got a sweet bunch of Konas to ride at a secret location 4000m above the Paro Valley.

Mountain biking in Bhutan - very, very sweet

Bhutan’s mountain bike scene is still very young but it’s a growing sport which even has the ear of the King (yes he rides!) and the Oympic committee in Thinpu, the nations capital.

Wilderness guide turned tour operator, Kesang Tshering, from Bhutan Wilderness Travels began mountain biking in the mid 2000’s following his wilderness training in the US. He is the distributor for Kona Mountain Bikes in this tiny landlocked country sandwiched between India and China.

Screaming down old logging tracks

“Bhutan is absolutely serene, our roads are not heavily used and in one day you could ride through 12-13 different valleys, every 10km will offer something very new. Bhutan is so serene that riders have been known to lose concentration and be lost in meditation!”

Sweeping downhill sections above Paro

Riding on roads is all well and good, but Kesang and the local mountain bike boys have something special lined up for our Bhutan riding adventure. In a secret location high up in the Paro valley mountains lies an ancient trail known only to a handful of locals.

These trails used to be trekked by Nuns to reach their monastic retreat – but for now it offers a pilgrimage route for a different kind of spiritual seeker -

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Thanks for stopping by mushypea.net. Mushypeas are squashed/mushed up green peas that are something of a food 'delicacy' in the UK. I had a Kona Kula which was mushypea green and it travelled all over the world with me - this site is named after her, mushypea.
This site is dedicated to photographing and documenting the excitement of unsupported mountain biking/adventure cycling.